Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to vehicle mounted support and lift systems, and more particularly to spool support and lift systems configured for mount to a transport vehicle for transporting an elongate load such as cable or tubing.
Description of Related Art
Utility cable lines are used extensively across our lands to carry electrical or light signals or energy from one location to another. For example, electric utility cables carry electricity to our homes, fiber optic cable to carry data communications for voice and video networks, and coaxial cable used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals for video and cable TV distribution, microwave transmission, and computer and instrumentation data connections. These cables span great distances to carry these transmissions from one place to another. A convenient mode of storing these cables prior to use is on large spools as seen in FIG. 1A-1D until they are unwound and traversed across aerial posts, through underground piping, or laid in channels dug in ground.
The prior art illustrates various types of equipment for handling these large and heavy cable spools. Most of this art is in the form of trailers connected by hitch or pintle plates to trucks with specialized mounts for holding the cable spools (FIG. 1A) on the trailer. Other art includes specialized mounts fixed to the bed of large trucks for the same purpose (FIG. 1B). Heavy equipment such as back hoes are often used to latch onto the spools or may have special spool handling arms to move the spools around (FIG. 1C). Many times these methods of moving the spools are impractical due to the effort required to move these machines to the work site or due to the cost of these machines. In addition, the size of the equipment can make it impossible to navigate to locations having limited access due to obstructions like trees, tight travel paths, or areas populated with people or other vehicles. A popular approach is to utilize specialized trailers to hold the spools as seen previously in FIG. 1A. These trailers are often extremely difficult to navigate in tighter spaces and also difficult when backing up since they typically have a short hitch to trailer wheel distance.
Workers responsible for installing cable underground or overhead are often expected to accomplish the task without the benefit of the equipment discussed previously. In other cases, the area where the cable is to be situated is often unsuited for this equipment. Too often these workers resort to manually moving or lifting the spools of cable into the back of a utility truck or other transport vehicle. This puts the worker at risk for serious injury, muscle strains, and fatigue.
What is needed are simple methods and machinery for lifting and moving these heavy spools with minimal effort. In addition, the machines should be configurable for use with standard transport vehicles such as pickup trucks without extensive adaptation to the vehicle. Finally the device should facilitate use in areas that are normally hard to navigate such as parking lots, wooded areas, or trails.